Julian Alvarez softens Arsenal stance ahead of deadline day

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·23 August 2026

Julian Alvarez softens Arsenal stance ahead of deadline day

Arsenal may have received some encouragement in their pursuit of Julian Alvarez, with the Atletico Madrid striker reportedly no longer completely ruling out a move to the Emirates.

The Argentine has been linked with the Gunners throughout the summer, but his preference for Barcelona has seemingly been a major obstacle to Arsenal making further progress.

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However, with the transfer window closing at 11pm on September 1 and a move to Barcelona becoming increasingly complicated, Alvarez’s position towards Arsenal may now be beginning to soften.

Alvarez no longer completely rules out Arsenal

According to Spanish newspaper AS, Alvarez still prioritises a move to Barcelona and his previous ‘no’ to Arsenal remains in place. Crucially, though, the report adds that he has not completely forgotten about the possibility of joining the English champions.

That potentially leaves the door open for Arsenal should his preferred move fail to materialise before the deadline.

Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta are reported to have maintained frequent contact with the forward, who is said to have appreciated Arsenal’s interest.

The Standard has gone further by positioning Arsenal as frontrunners for his signature amid suggestions that the relationship between Alvarez and Atletico has become increasingly strained.

Alvarez was absent from Atletico’s opening La Liga victory over Malaga, with Diego Simeone saying before the match that the striker was “not in condition to play in this match.”

Despite all the speculation, Atletico have continued to publicly insist that Alvarez will not be leaving.

(Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Simeone insists Alvarez remains important

Simeone has confirmed that Alvarez will be part of his squad to face Villarreal on Sunday and reiterated how highly he values the Argentine.

“Julian Alvarez will be in the squad tomorrow,” Simeone said. “For me, Julian is an extremely important player for us to achieve our objectives. As long as he’s with the team, I’m going to look after him.”

The Atletico boss also defended Alvarez amid criticism from sections of the club’s support and insisted there is no uncertainty from Atletico’s perspective.

“There is no uncertainty. Miguel was very clear. He is our player and we need him.”

That leaves an interesting situation heading into the final days of the transfer window.

Atletico remain adamant that Alvarez is staying, while the player reportedly still wants Barcelona. Yet if that move proves impossible, Arsenal now appear to have greater hope than they did previously that the 26-year-old could reconsider the Emirates.

With the deadline approaching, the question is whether Arsenal will now attempt to take advantage of that apparent change in stance.

Would you like Arsenal to make a late push for Julian Alvarez, or should the Gunners concentrate on other targets before the transfer window closes? Let us know in the comments. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ADMIN COMMENT

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